Category Archives: Burgundian

Dr. Z’s Leadership Institute is under attack! Yes, we have reason to believe the Burgundians are ready to turn us over to the authorities just like they did to Joan of Arc so many years ago.

The Burgundian menace rivals the drama of the Da Vinci Code when the lead character voiced the top movie action line of all time: I’ve got to get to a library, fast.

People have begun to ask: Is Dr. Z. a real doctor? Where was he educated? Are his credentials authentic?

To nip this in the bud, Dr Z. has included a copy of his diploma in this article. Oh sure, some of you will read it closely and note that it says:

This certifies that Dr. Z is a member in good standing in the WD-40 Fan Club and, as such, is entitled to sprary WD-40 wherever and whenever it may be needed, and to wear blue and yellow on consecutive days of the week.

Let’s not quibble about this minor point. It is just like a diploma and if the doubt continues to spread about Dr. Z’s credentials he may be forced to spray WD-40 right at the Burgundian menace.

Dr. Z will readily admit that this diploma might not have the same prestige as a Ph.D. from Harvard but don’t you just love the color and when you think of it really, what is more useful – a Ph.D. or WD-40? By the way WD stands for Wit Doctor. So there.

But enough about us as the Burgundians are trying to make us forget about the important contributions of the institute to leadership in the year 2007 and beyond.

Dr. Z’s Leadership Point: It is always good to have an enemy when you are a leader because it helps to define you. When things get drab, slow, or indifferent — rally your troops with the need to battle the enemies in the boardroom, the cubicle, by the water cooler, and at the photocopy machine. Stand on your desk and bellow:

We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God’s good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old.

Choose your enemies well and please leave the Burgundians to Dr. Z. and Joan of Arc!

Also, notice with all this talk of the enemy you have forgotten the whole issue of whether Dr. Z. is a real doctor and in future articles we can return back to the important purpose of the institute — creating leaders who can think outside of the cubicle!

Hang on to your hat!

Okay perhaps you are not Mr. Frumble who was always having his hat blow away in Richard Scarry books – but hang on to your hat anyway because you are in for a leadership ride like no other. This is no Segway to leadership this is the full wheel deal.

The picture for this post is from Flickr’s pool of creative commons’ hat pictures. It included the caption:

Who Needs “Leadership Challenge” When you have deadly colorful Samurai hat! Yarrrr.”

Dr. Z is up to the challenge — are you?

It is not a coincidence that this blog started on May 30th.

[Okay it is a coincidence — I wanted to start sooner but I followed Stephen Covey’s idea of first things first and rolled $26.00 in loose change, took it to the bank, and forgot about this exciting leadership blog for a week.]

But I am sure May 30th is significant if you’ll just give me a moment to look up this date in history I will be right back to tell you why this launch date is so significant.

Okay here it is:

May 30, 1431: After being captured by Burgundian troops and then handed over to English troops, French military leader Joan of Arc is burned as a heretic in Rouen, France.

So you see Dr. Z, like Joan of Arc is a leader. It may be 576 years after Joan was burned but feel the heat of Dr. Z the modern day fearless leadership heretic. The only thing that Dr. Z fears is Burgundian troops!

Be prepared for the full impact of Dr. Z’s LEADERSHIP LESSENS with ideas you can use to cruise right into six figure leadership.

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Dr. Z

No. Dr. Z. is not some reincarnate of Dr. Zhivago nor is he the much beloved Dr. Z. of the Chryler commercials.
Because of the fate of Joan of Arc and because of the constant threat of capture from Burgundian troops Dr. Z’s identity must remain anonymous, at least until his first book is published or someone is willing to pay him $50 to come and speak to a 4H-Club leadership jamboree.
Perhaps Dr. Z’s identify is superfluous, and don’t say that with your mouth full of dental implements.